BLYTHE, Calif., April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE) today announced the official dedication of the company's Genesis Solar Energy Center, located in Riverside County, Calif. Approximately 150 local residents, federal, state and local officials and energy industry leaders, gathered today at the new solar facility, which is capable of generating 250 megawatts (MW) of solar power, enough electricity to meet the energy needs of 88,000 California homes.
All of the power generated by the Genesis Solar Energy Center is being provided to Pacific Gas & Electric Company under a long-term contract.
"We are proud to be a part of an initiative that contributes to California's renewable energy supply and helps to power Riverside County's local economy," said Armando Pimentel, president and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy Resources. "Reaching this important project milestone would not have been possible without the cooperation and hard work of all our project partners."
"PG&E remains fully on track to meet California's clean energy goals by 2020," said Tony Earley, chairman, CEO and president of PG&E Corporation. "Today more than half of the electricity we provide to our customers comes from greenhouse-gas-free sources, including the nation's largest utility-owned hydroelectric system and Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Thanks to projects like the Genesis Solar Energy Center with NextEra Energy, we'll continue to be among the nation's leaders in clean energy."
The Genesis Solar Energy Center is located on approximately 1,950 acres of land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Riverside County. The solar facility, which is comprised of two identical 125-MW generating units, entered service in November 2013 and March 2014, respectively. The project is delivering significant environmental benefits, including the avoidance of approximately 330,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equal to removing more than 68,000 passenger vehicles off the road. The project is owned and operated by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources.
Development on the Genesis Solar Project began in 2007. Genesis received its license from the California Energy Commission in September 2010, and its right-of-way grant from the Bureau of Land Management in December 2010. Since breaking ground in January 2011, the project employed approximately 1,700 construction workers who logged more than 3.8 million man-hours of work at the facility. In addition, more than 60 California businesses contributed to the project through services ranging from materials, equipment, utilities, labor, housing, and food and beverage.
NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (together with its affiliated entities, "NextEra Energy Resources"), is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 18,300 megawatts of generating capacity primarily in 24 states and Canada as of year-end 2013. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun. The business operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy nuclear fleet, which is one of the largest in the United States. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
SOURCE NextEra Energy Resources, LLC
